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Doreen Ketchens
file:videography.png video:Doreen J. Ketchens - Jazz clarinet file:biography.png | birth_place = New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | death_date = | death_place = | instrument = Clarinet | genre = Jazz Dixieland | occupation = Clarinetist Educator Bandleader | years_active = | label = DJNO Records | associated_acts = Doreen's Jazz New Orleans | website = www.doreensjazz.com | current_members = | past_members = | notable_instruments = Clarinet }} Doreen Ketchens (born October 3, 1966 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is a jazz clarinetist, who performs Dixieland and Trad Jazz. She is one of the first and few female bandleaders in New Orleans, and a musical educator. She has performed at concert halls and music festivals, at U.S. Embassies and decades of weekly performances in Dixieland's tradition in the Royal Street Performing Arts Zone in the French Quarter of New Orleans with her band, Doreen's Jazz New Orleans. Ketchens has performed for four U.S. Presidents: Bill Clinton, George Bush Sr., Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter Index Page - DoreensJazz.com, and is widely considered one of the cultural ambassadors of New Orleans and of the traditional music "Doreen and her Jazz New Orleans band got nothing but love at New Orleans Jazz Fest", Susan Langenhennig, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune Nicknamed "Lady Louis" because of her ability to hit and hold powerful high notes, and her love of Armstrong's performance style, she has performed with Ellis Marsalis, Jon Faddis, Trombone Shorty, Al Hirt, Dorothy Donegan, The Black Crows and Jennifer Warnes, and opened for Macy Grey and Dr. Johnhttp://doreensjazz.com/bio.htm, and has been seen around the world by millions of people via media and fan videos of her performances (See Filmography & Videography, below). She has been featured in numerous documentaries about New Orleans, its music, and its heritage, and she has been seen on television in shows like HBO's Tremé. Origins & Education Like many of New Orleans' musicians, Ketchens grew up in the Tremé Travel + Leisure Keven Sessums She studied clarinet in elementary school, beginning as a fifth-grader at Joseph Craig Elementary. To get out of a pop quiz, she responded to an announcement asking interested students to come and sign up for the band. Her first choice was flute, but most of the girls picked that instrument, so she opted for the clarinet.17th Jazz All-Stars Issue GERALDINE WYCKOFF, MyNewOrleans.com In junior high school, her band director, Donald Richardson, stayed on her for not practicing, and there was a boy that she was trying to impress. When she finally did practice, her talent began to emerge.Five Questions With Doreen Ketchens MaryXo.com (Blog) 17th Jazz All-Stars Issue GERALDINE WYCKOFF, MyNewOrleans.com She played for John F. Kennedy High School in New Orleans, and auditioned and was accepted to NOCCA, Louisiana's Arts Conservatory in New Orleans. She began to study with clarinetist Stanley Weinstein.Doreen Ketchens - D'Addario Woodwinds Website17th Jazz All-Stars Issue GERALDINE WYCKOFF, MyNewOrleans.com Doreen attended Delgado Community College,Loyola University of New Orleans, Southern University In New Orleans, and, through scholarships, including one from the New York Philharmonic, University of Hartford's The Hartt School in Hartford, CT, where she studied under Henry Larsen.Doreen Ketchens - D'Addario Woodwinds WebsiteFive Questions With Doreen Ketchens MaryXo.com (Blog). She had an internship with the symphony in Hartford.17th Jazz All-Stars Issue GERALDINE WYCKOFF, MyNewOrleans.com She worked her way through conservatories and college as a chef, and met her husband, arranger and sousaphonist for Doreen's Jazz New Orleans, Lawrence Ketchens at Loyola.Five Questions With Doreen Ketchens MaryXo.com (Blog). She found her passion in Jazz with Lawrence.Doreen Ketchens - D'Addario Woodwinds Website. Career Ketchens performed her first jazz gig with Lawrence at the 1987 Republican National Convention.17th Jazz All-Stars Issue GERALDINE WYCKOFF, MyNewOrleans.com. She ran a plate lunch eatery called "Doreen's Sweets" for a time until she and Lawrence kept passing musicians working the streets of New Orleans, and she told him that they could make money doing that. The couple began performing on the streets of New Orleans in 1987.17th Jazz All-Stars Issue GERALDINE WYCKOFF, MyNewOrleans.com She began playing in Jackson Square with her first band, the Jackson Square All-Stars. Travel + Leisure Keven Sessums. Their band evolved into "Doreen's Jazz New Orleans," and, after much struggle with the chauvinism of traditional Jazz and club owners, they managed to find a winning formula playing and entertaining crowds via their street shows, Jazz festivals, and then, through direct sales of their music and videos on the Internet. Doreen Ketchens - D'Addario Woodwinds Website. Ketchens has been sharing traditional American Jazz in Africa, Asia, Canada, Europe, South America, Russia and the United States. They have performed with programs sponsored by Jazz_at_Lincoln_Center and The US Department of State. Doreen a introduced her daughter, Dorian Ketchens-Dixon, when she was barely nine, as a drummer at the [Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival) for one song in a set. Today, she is one of the regular drummers backing the group. Ketchens' group appears at Jazz Festivals in New Orleans and throughout the world. In 2006, she was part of a program for South African cultural exchange with the Field Band Foundation that was sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and Jazz at Lincoln Center in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.[http://www.drumcorpsworld.com/?p=1514 DrumcorpsWorld - Blog She has been featured in numerous documentaries about New Orleans, its heritage, and its music, including several profiles by WWOZ, New Orleans' Jazz radio station including a video profiles and audio programs, and dozens of articles from major newspapers and magazines around the worldReviews - Doreensjazz.com. In Art Doreen's iconic stance, head thrown back, clarinet soaring into the air, has been the subject of hundreds of pieces of art and hundreds of thousands of photos by delighted photographers, professional and amateur capturing the spirit of New Orleans. Fine art featuring her as the subject appear at Harrah's Hotel & Casino in New Orleans, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, a hospital, and many other installations. Fine artists who have used Doreen Ketchens for inspiration include: Fine Art *Ryan Calloway *John HartmanArthur Roger Gallery Photography *Fine Art America https://www.pinterest.com/pin/407998047464706832/ Jazz and Music Festivals Jazz & Music festivals Doreen Ketchens has performed at: *New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival *French Quarter Festival *Satchmo SummerFest, New Orleans, LA. *Iowa State Fair, Des Moines, IA. *Dubuque Winter Jazz Festival, Dubuque, IA *Modesto 11th Street Jazz Festival, Modesto, CA. *31st International Homecoming Festival, Calais, ME. Filmography & Videography Fan and media videos of her performances have been seen globally by millions of people on YouTube and other social media outlets with one video by the NOLA Insider Guide on Facebook reaching more than 3.9M people by October of 2015 Facebook Posting - Doreen's Jazz New Orleans. Professional performances and performances in feature films and television programs include: Videos *This Train - New Orleans Calling, WWOZ.org Discography Awards Photographs Wikimedia Commons: Doreen Ketchens References External links * Doreen's Jazz * IMDB - Doreen Ketchens Category:1965 births Category:Living people Category:Doreen Ketchens Category:Jazz musicians from New Orleans, Louisiana Category:Dixieland revivalist clarinetists Category:Dixieland clarinetists Category:African-American jazz musicians Category:American jazz bandleaders Category:American jazz clarinetists Category:Clarinetists